Welcome to the Madhouse
by YAXON
Summary: Tentative title. In a universe where Jason Todd didn't run off to kill the Joker, events continue their natural course. Joker takes control of Arkham Asylum, and it will be up to Batman, Robin, and their allies to contain the situation. At first it will have narrations of the canonical game, but it will progressively become different as Jason's presence will affect events.
1. Chapter 1

Night had fallen in Gotham once again, and the Batmobile sped through the city streets with a clear destination. Arkham Asylum. Batman had recaptured Joker and was bringing the psychopath in.

"Stay back, fool! I have a bomb… Oh, right…" Joker giggled as he stirred in the passenger seat. It didn't matter, since they had arrived at their destination, and Joker was handcuffed.

A few minutes later, Batman was standing outside of the Intensive Treatment building with Joker, and the door opened automatically, having recognized Batman as having the necessary clearance. Upon entering the facility, a number of guards and the Warden were present to meet the pair.

"Hey, Sharpie! Love what you've done with the place." Joker grinned at the aged man, who straightened his tie and glared pointedly at the maniacal clown.

"That's _Warden Sharp_ to you. Boles!" The Warden gestured to a security guard who stepped forward.

"Yo, Frank-ay! How's the wife and kids? Ya miss me?" Joker teased the guard, only to get manhandled by the collar.

"Shut it, clown! A lotta people wanna talk to you…"

Boles then proceeded to strap Joker to a gurney that was slanted upward.

"Really? I don't mind _walking_ …" Joker sneered. He laughed as the guards strapped him in extra tightly. "Not so tight, boys! You'll crease the suit!"

"Get that filthy degenerate out of here!" Sharp barked, and the guards moved to comply.

Batman frowned and strode in after them.

"Warden, something's not right. I'm going with him."

Yet contrary to Batman's suspicions, Joker passed through all the security checkpoints without any hassle. No tricks from him, no one trying to break him out. At least… not until the last security checkpoint, when he passed over into the cell blocks.

"Long night, Jim?" Batman casually greeted the Commissioner and accepted a handshake.

"Heh. Joker invades City Hall and holds the Mayor hostage, leaving it to me to juggle SWAT teams, the media, and you! Yeah, it's been a helluva night."

"Hopefully the last one we'll ever have with him," Batman completely understood how Gordon felt. Joker was arguably the most dangerous villain in Gotham, one that you did not take lightly. Ever.

"Hold it there! Sorry, Batman – Arkham staff only." A guard apologized as they reached the electric gate that separated them from the cells.

Gordon snorted good-naturedly.

"If anyone's more qualified, it's-"

"Look, I appreciate the assistance," the guard cut off the Commissioner abruptly, "but he'll unsettle the more violent inmates."

"I think he's talking about _you_ , Bats!" Joker laughed as he was rigorously guided past the temporarily deactivated electric gate, having been removed from the gurney. "Don't be a stranger! You're always welcome here. Gotta say, it's good to be back!"

Gordon looked at his reticent friend, concerned.

"You okay?"

"He surrendered almost without a fight. I don't like it." Beneath his mask, his brow furrowed. Batman strode over to the window overlooking the cells just as the electric gate turned back on.

As he watched, Joker tripped in the cell block, and a guard coerced him to get back on his feet. Yet it soon became clear Joker was not as secure as they had once thought, because the deranged clown bumped the naïve guard with his shoulder and rose back to his feet. He then got a stranglehold on the guard with his handcuffs still on, choking the life out of him. The doctor that entered with the guard tried to save the guard's life, but Joker wasn't having any of that.

"Hurry! We're losin' him, Doc!" Joker unlocked his handcuffs in the struggle, and knocked the doctor over after gleefully killing the guard. Leaning over the corpse, Joker smirked and said, "The choke's on you! TA-DA!"

Joker danced a little jig and showed that he was now free. Glancing up at a camera meaningfully, he continued.

"Honey, I'm _home_!" Joker chortled as the second electric gate, the one that went further into the prison, deactivated. He made a run for it just as Batman succeeded in smashing through the window to enter the cell block, and the second Joker was past the electric gate, it reactivated. Turning around and making a grandiose gesture, Joker declared, "Welcome to the madhouse, Batman! I set a trap and you sprang in _gloriously_! Now let's get this party started."

Clenching his fists, Batman steeled himself for the first hurdle to cross – namely, defeating the numerous prisoners that had just been released from their cells. He was used to these kinds of odds, but the circumstances were fairly different. Joker was orchestrating this, so he was one step behind his arch-foe.

That was never a good thing.

Batman allowed the convicts to make the first move, one being bold enough to throw a punch at his face. The caped crusader easily caught the punch and brutally twisted the man's arm until there was a sickening _crunch_ ; then Batman slammed his opponent on the ground and moved on. He punched the next convict and delivered a roundhouse kick to the chest; a third convict attempted to get the vigilante from behind, but Batman countered by whipping around and slamming both of his hands on opposite sides of his opponent's head, disorienting him. Batman then delivered an uppercut to the man's jaw and made him crash into a corner of the room.

The fight lasted about a minute.

"I'm just warming you up, Bats! _Fresh_ from Blackgate Correctional Facility! With a combined sentence of seven hundred fifty two years… Ding-ding-ding, it's _Round Two_!" Joker released the remaining prisoners from their cells, and the thugs proceeded to rush Batman. While the Dark Knight was stalled, Joker declared unapologetically, "Sorry, Bats, gotta run! I've got places to go, people to slay."

Batman growled lowly at having to play along. He didn't want to, but he might just have to call in backup. It all depended on how big of an operation this whole thing turned out to be. Prospects were not looking good.

* * *

"Jason, wait!" Barbara wheeled over to the adolescent, who was suiting up in the Batcave. Jason had only just returned from patrol, and already he was suiting back up after having witnessed the events through Batman's mask. "Bruce won't want you going in there hastily! For all we know, Bruce will have the situation contained in minutes!"

Jason snorted at the notion. This time would be different; he could feel it.

"Barb, say that again with a straight face." He smirked when the redhead hesitated. He snapped on his utility belt. "This is the Joker we're talking about here. Even if Bruce and I disagree on how that bastard should be dealt with, he's going to need as much help in there as he can get. Somehow, Joker wiggled his foot in the door, and now the inmates are running the Asylum. Even if that's not the case _right now_ , they're going to be running it within the hour. I'm going."

Barbara chewed her bottom lip nervously and watched as Jason strode over to the equipment table and carefully selected his gear. Smoke pellets, Batarangs, a grapnel gun, a line launcher, a Batclaw, a rebreather, explosive gel, and Jason's personal favorite – a handgun that fired non-lethal rounds.

"You know Bruce doesn't want you using that…" Barbara reminded Jason, but she knew it was futile. Jason had 'compromised' enough by making the rounds non-lethal; he'd decided a couple of years ago that he would fight crime in his own way.

Regardless of what the rest of the Bat Clan thought.

"Let's just say it will likely be put to good use tonight," Jason dryly shot back. He spread his spandex-covered arms in a 'What will you do?' gesture. "You can hardly call it worse than the beatdowns Bruce has dealt over the years – I'm simply being more… efficient. I'm not gonna kill anyone, Barb. You know Bruce pulled me back from that crevice years ago."

"You still hate the Joker more than any of us. Possibly even Bruce." Barbara pointed out factually.

"I sometimes wonder about that…" Jason slipped on his mask with a scoff. He'd admitted to Jason in confidentiality that deep down, he'd wanted to kill the Joker on more than one occasion. It humanized Bruce in his mind, despite his keen resistance to the idea. Jason had a much harder personal struggle – he was nowhere near as compassionate as Bruce; the only thing that kept him from going off to kill the Joker years ago was the effect it would have on Barbara, Dick, and Alfred. Bruce… was a mixed bag, simply because of their slightly clashing beliefs; regardless, Jason would feel guilty about causing him grief as well. How could he not, when the guy gave him a home and a family? And as much as he hated to admit it, Tim had wormed his way into his heart as well. Speaking of whom… "Try and keep Tim away from Arkham tonight. We'll need someone in Gotham anyway, if we can't contain this."

Barbara nodded in understanding, before slipping a device into Jason's hand.

"Take the spare cryptographic sequencer. You never know when you'll get stuck over there – some of those rooms don't have alternate exits."

Jason quirked an eyebrow at Barbara.

"You know I don't have the codes?"

"Then get them from the Warden, he shouldn't be hard to find." Barbara replied, slightly exasperated. Her eyes softened, and she said, "Stay safe. Link up with Bruce and let's get this done. There's no way we're going to lose tonight."

Jason's lips quirked upward a little.

"Couldn't have put it better myself."

* * *

Joker had allowed Batman to go further into the Intensive Treatment Building, and the caped crusader had just saved a guard from the deranged Victor Zsasz. Oracle had let him know that Robin was on the way, so now it was only a matter of pursuing Joker and recapturing him before he got out of the building.

A pity that things were going to get worse before they got better.

"Can ya hear me? Is this thing on?" A collection of monitors flickered to life as Harley Quinn began to broadcast from somewhere in the prison. "Oh! Hiya, B-Man! Harley Quinn here. How do you like my new uniform? Pretty hot, huh? Oh, I got something to show you! One sec!"

Harley went off-screen, and then shoved the captured Warden, who was tied to an office chair, into view of the camera.

"Ta-da! I'm now subbing for the old man. Old Sharpie's never been happier! In case ya ain't figured it out, today's the Joker's big homecoming, and you're the guest of honor!"

Batman was not impressed.

"You have one chance to surrender, Quinn."

"Tempting, Bats, but no dice. Now the inmates are running the asylum. Well, technically they're Joker's goons shipped in from Blackgate, but you get the idea. Bye-bye for now!" Harley used Warden Sharp's cane to bust the camera, resulting in static on the screens.

And the hits just kept coming.

 _"Batman, Arkham Island just vanished off the network. Comms are acting up like crazy."_ Oracle reported via the two-way radio in Batman's mask.

"He's likely isolated Arkham from the grid – Joker's taken control of the security system." Batman deduced.

 _"That's not all he's done. Police feeds are reporting that he's planted bombs all over Gotham. Says he'll detonate them if anyone sets foot on Arkham Island."_

"He's lying," Batman replied. "I know him. It's a diversion to keep people away; whatever he's planning is here, and I'm going to find out what it is."

 _"I'll have someone look into the bombs anyway."_ Tim. _"You can never be too careful with the Joker. Robin should be there soon – do you want him to look into anything?"_

"Not at the moment, but I'm sure something will come up. Have him get the explosive gel from the trunk of the Batmobile, and program the Batwing to take the car back to the Batcave."

 _"He's already a few steps ahead of you in terms of gear, but consider it done"_

Batman ended the communication and proceeded to escape the 'inescapable' room that Harley left him in. The ventilation shaft he took led him to a corridor that branched to the right and to a room that was apparently now sealed off by the Joker.

 _"Warning: Decontamination Room. Area sealed."_

Batman had caught just a glimpse, but he had seen the gas-filled room and its screaming occupants. Screaming that soon turned to forced, confused laughter.

"What is that stuff?" A guard asked helplessly at Batman's side.

"Joker Toxin! The room is filled with poison gas. Anyone caught in there is dead."

"Are you gonna get in there and help them, Batman? I think I can still see some people alive in there! They're still moving."

Wordlessly, Batman grappled up to another vent cover and pried it off the wall. He crawled through the vent to get into the room, and pulled a guard up before he fell into the thick fog of gas below. He grappled up further to save another guard from falling, as the man had attempted to get to the other side of the room. From there he glided over to a platform that was across from the extraction system, and then threw a Batarang at it to get the fans working again.

In moments, the gas was cleared out, and the automated system audibly confirmed this.

 _"Attention: Air purity is now at normal levels. Attention: Decontamination Room access is now permitted."_

Joker's laughter could be heard over the intercom, eliciting a low growl from the vigilante. He made one last check around the room for survivors, and then pressed onward. He ran through the winding halls, following the trail that Joker evidently left behind and defeating the few Arkham prisoners dispatched to slow him down. Until finally, he reached a door with a grinning face painted on it…

* * *

Joker scowled as he watched through a security camera as the Batwing dropped off an uninvited guest, and then proceeded to fly away with the car. Well, there went that minor diversion. Oh well.

"Harley, be a dear and get that no-good assassin off his lazy ass. There's a little pest problem, and I want it gone _now_."

Harley squeaked at her Puddin's sharp tone, but moved to comply. Was it overkill to sic Slade Wilson on one of the Bat Brats? Perhaps, But Puddin' _loved_ overkill, and it'd be one less migraine to deal with on this special occasion. Maybe the birdbrain's death would make B-man all the more fun to toy with.

Plus, this would give Harley the chance to get out of associating with Boles when the Commissioner was captured. Boles was _sooo_ nauseating. A boorish buffoon with about as many brain cells as a braindead gnat. Eh. He'd be dead soon, anyway. Harley didn't pity the oaf one bit.

Joker, meanwhile, had a Bat to reunite with…

* * *

Sitting around and waiting had never been Robin's strong suit. In their line of work, that got people hurt at best and people killed at worst. Batman was trapped in the Intensive Treatment building, so that would be Robin's destination. Getting inside would prove to be difficult, as Oracle filled him in on the fact that Joker had taken control of the security system. However, she had also informed him of another way inside, after she'd pulled up the schematics of the building.

It would be wrong to make all of the doors electronic, even if the place was a prison, so there was another entrance for emergencies just like this. But obviously, it had to be made in such a way that prisoners couldn't use it as an escape route. It was situated above the electronic front door, on a small roof protected on all sides by spikes.

Easy to get to if one had something like, say, an aircraft. Like the Batwing, in this case. The door had no digital components, but was kept locked for security purposes. Robin didn't have the time to go asking for the key, so he simply picked the lock, leaving minimal damage to the door. Once inside, Robin navigated through a series of ventilation shafts to get into the first area of security that Batman had passed through. It was a gigantic room with multiple levels, and evidently it hadn't been touched by the Joker's goons just yet.

Robin hailed down a guard to get more information on the state of affairs.

"Thank goodness you're here, Robin! Batman is down in the lower levels, though we don't know exactly where. It's a madhouse in here, but thankfully they haven't tried breaking out yet."

As far as Robin knew, the only exits were here on this level. The front door and the ventilation shafts. He'd gotten inside, but it would be folly to go in further now; Joker and his goons would have to pass through here eventually if they wanted to leave, and Robin didn't want to risk missing them. Besides, he did not trust the elevator with that madman at the helm. The clown was known to drop those if he had the means to, and navigating the elevator shaft would be too time-consuming.

So Robin would wait there and intercept any goons on their way out. Batman would pursue them below, chasing them all the way up here, and Robin would do his level best to cut them off. A system that could work beautifully if handled right, but as Robin well knew at this point, nothing was ever so simple when it came to the Joker.

There would be problems. There would be bloodshed. All Robin could hope to do was minimize the damage as much as possible.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So, this will be a new project for me. For the first few chapters or so, there will likely be narrations of in-game events; apologies in advance if that seems too 'boring'. Yet things will definitely be changing before too long – just think of all the crises that could have been averted had Batman brought in his sidekick. The new problems that likely would have arisen.**

 **But there's more to it than that. This isn't Batman bringing in Tim Drake; this is Batman bringing in Jason Todd in a world where he hadn't run off to try and kill the Joker. Jason is much more interesting to me as a sidekick; he lives by a different code than Batman, and to me, he would be pretty similar even in an 'ideal' world such as this, where he hasn't been tortured by the Joker. Joker's brand of torture just sped things along.**

 **Let me make it clear that I haven't read the comics. I've gotten to know Jason through Arkham Knight, and the animated film Under the Red Hood. Any research I do will be conducted through the Arkham Wikia. Bear with me as I try to experiment with the Arkham series (minus Origins, obviously) and flesh out the Bat Clan more. It's kind of disappointing how little we saw of the Robins in those games, but also understandable with the 'loss' of Jason Todd.**

 **I'll also be taking a slightly different approach from fics I've read; maybe the whole 'Bat family' thing is emphasized in the comics, hence the 'Bat Daddy and Sons' approach that I've seen writers take. My approach will play a little closer to the games, where Batsy never really addressed them as his 'sons', but simply addressed them by their names or superhero titles. That doesn't mean the whole family feeling isn't there; it's just that this is the Bat Clan we're talking about here. Emotional troubles abound because Bruce has such a hard time expressing himself, even when he means well. They just won't be referring to each other as 'Dad' and 'Sons' so frequently.**

 **Lastly… don't expect sunshine and rainbows all the time. Arkham Asylum was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, as were the games proceeding it. Jason might be fine at the start, but he'll likely be changing for the 'worse' as the stories progress. Not to the point where he'll be the Arkham Knight again, but these incidents won't exactly instill the sidekick with 'faith in the system'. He might get 'better' again after Arkham City, but I haven't mapped that far yet. This is a work in-progress, so be patient with me. This chapter was more of a test drive, to get the feeling for writing for this series and to get feedback if you guys have any. I don't have a hero name for Tim yet; Jason's still Robin, though that might change in the future…**

 **At any rate, hope you guys enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

The door with the childish scrawl parted when Batman stepped close enough to them. Joker, standing on top of a metal cage, strides forward to greet his arch-foe.

"What took ya so long?" The mad clown cackled and ducked as Batman threw a Batarang at him. "Ooh!"

"There's no escape, Joker. I will _find_ you." Batman snarled.

"I'm counting on it! Just not _yet_." Joker kicked open the door to the cage, and out stepped a grotesque figure with one bulgy, heavily muscled arm – the other being normally sized by comparison. Its eyes glowed an ominous green. "Oooh! He's a _big one_!"

The human experiment leaped out of the cage and unleashed a furious roar. Armed with only Batarangs, Batman set to work knocking him out. When the beastly man charged, Batman threw a well-aimed Batarang at his head and got out of the way as the creature boorishly rushed into the locked doors behind him. While the man was struggling to recover from the collision, Batman battered him with a series of punches and kicks that ultimately proved ineffective. And eventually, the man swung its bigger arm to get at Batman, but the Caped Crusader leaped out of the way.

From there, the creature smashed a fist into the floor and generated a small seismic quake. Noting the active electric gate directly behind him, Batman threw another well-aimed Batarang at the thug's head as it charged once again. This time the prisoner got a nasty shock when it boorishly and blindly ran past Batman. The Caped Crusader didn't let it stay that way, as he hammered the prisoner again and again, repeatedly knocking the man into the electric gate. Eventually, the prisoner couldn't take anymore, and he made another swipe at the Dark Knight. Again, it seismically punched the floor, but it did not get up to attack Batman again this time.

This time, the human experiment clutched its head in agony and unleashed a pained howl before collapsing on its back.

"Well, that was unexpected, wasn't it? Oh well." Joker pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered. "Note to self: need stronger test subjects. Seeing as how I'm feeling generous, I'll give this one to you for free. Knock me off, I _dare_ you! End this, pull the plug, stop me once and for all!"

Joker grandly stood in a 'defeated' gesture and waited for Batman to throw a Batarang at him. He chortled when his arch-foe hesitated _once again_ …

"Oh, you're getting too predictable, Bats! Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a party to organize. I've got guests flying in from all over Arkham! You'll see." Laughing gleefully, Joker waved as the cage he was standing on was pulled back into Extreme Isolation. Once he was inside, the doors closed in front of him hissed and closed with finality.

Batman released a frustrated growl, and turned his attention to a guard as he moaned and woke back up. The guard turned off the electric gates and called Batman over to him.

"Joker's gone into Extreme Isolation. The only way in is via the transport system; just hang on, and I'll call another cell and get you in there." The guard moved over to a computer and get Batman access, but he soon discovered that it would not be so easy. "Something's wrong here. The main security loop is locked."

Another monitor to the guard's right flickered to life, revealing Joker's pasty visage. The mad clown grinned smugly at his arch-foe.

"Having a little trouble up there?"

"Joker." Batman scowled.

"You were expecting maybe Two-Face?"

"There's no escape, Joker."

"Silly Bat!" Joker scoffed. "I don't want to escape. I'm having _way_ too much fun. I even have you here to keep a smile on my face!"

"Not for long."

"Oh, really? We'll see. Ta-ta!" Joker moved to sever the connection, but he pulled back at the last moment. "Oh, I forgot to say. Just in case you were planning on following me, I've arranged a little insurance. Gordon is on his way to Harley as we speak." Joker maneuvered the monitor so that it was in view of another one, showing a guard clubbing Commissioner Gordon in the back of the head with his stun stick.

Batman growled at the sight.

"Officer Boles."

Joker cackled at his arch-foe's evident anger.

"If I see you trying to follow me, he dies. Harley's looking forward to it! Maybe I'll film it and post it on the internet! Hehehe!" Joker finally severed the connection, and Batman was left to figure out where to go from there.

"Transport system is down," the guard confirmed for Batman and shook his head. "Best I can do is open the door you came in. Sorry."

Batman nodded in silent thanks and took his leave. All wasn't lost yet – well, so long as Robin hadn't tried getting too far into Intensive Treatment. He got in touch with Oracle after passing through the doors again.

"Oracle, it's me. Joker's loose, and I need you to get in touch with Robin… It's about your father…"

* * *

It took some time, but Robin's patience did pay off. Based off of Oracle's intel, he didn't fall for the act Officer Boles was putting on as he approached a group of guards.

"Hey, Frank. Where you been?"

"Joker's got more men on the way." Boles said in a frantic voice and motioned to the front door. "They're coming around the front of the Asylum! Gotta stop them from getting in. Quick, cover the main entrance!"

Robin took that moment to drop in behind Boles without making a sound. He firmly chopped the traitor in the back of the neck, instantly rendering him unconscious. And before the other guards could question his motives, Robin took Frank's gun and emptied it of ammo before tossing it to the side.

"Boles is working for the Joker. Detain him, and I'll deal with any other trash that probably followed him up here. I have to find the Commissioner."

One of the guards released an angry growl and glared at the unconscious Boles. What had Frank been _thinking_ , aligning himself with the Joker? That went against everything they stood for! Everything they tried protecting Gotham from. Regardless of whether he was blackmailed or joined willingly, Boles's future at Arkham was very likely over and done with.

"Actually, uh, Robin, sir…" Another guard took a tentative step forward. "I would like to back you up, if that's okay. If the Commissioner's in danger, then I don't want to be sitting on my ass. These bastards need to pay."

On the one hand, Robin's first impulse was to turn the man down and have him keep this room secure. These were people that he and Batman were sworn to protect; no one else was. On the other hand, as Robin surveyed the other guards and saw that they were just as determined, he couldn't help but feel a slight... camaraderie with them. A lot of the time it felt as if Batman was coddling him – keeping him out of the most intense fights, away from the biggest dangers. Batman wouldn't let his sidekick in on any of that action until he had sufficiently 'trained' enough. And these days? It finally seemed like Batman was keeping to his word. He was here on Arkham Island, wasn't he? During one of the worst jail breaks in its lengthy history? Yeah. Batman still coddled him somewhat, but he was finally improving; letting his sidekick gain _experience_.

These were Arkham guards. Healthy, dedicated to keeping prisoners locked up. Oracle's intel said nothing about Croc, or Two-Face, or even Harley holding the Commissioner hostage; it had just been Boles and a handful of common prisoners. It would be an insult to their profession if Robin insinuated they couldn't handle _that_. Batman would 'play it safe' and have these guards stay back, but Robin wasn't Batman. For now he had autonomy, and he would use it as he saw fit.

"… Alright. Three of you stay behind to keep Boles detained and to keep this room locked down. The rest of you, with me." Robin took off for the corridors, with six guards trailing behind him.

They reached a set of doors that branched off into two parallel corridors. As they didn't know which corridor Boles had come through, or even if that corridor would have Commissioner Gordon and his captors in it, Robin had three guards take one corridor while he and the other three guards took the other. Perhaps it would have been better to adopt a wait-and-see approach, but Robin felt time was of the essence, and Joker's thugs might have had a contingency to kill Gordon if Boles took too long.

Really, it was for the best to catch them unawares than to wait and let them grow suspicious. Needless to say, it was Robin and his group that got lucky as they went down the corridor on the right.

"Boles? Is that you?" A random Blackgate prisoner asked in a hushed voice before he registered who was before him. The prisoner was at the foot of some stairs going up to a security terminal, where Robin assumed they were temporarily holding Gordon. "Oh, cr-"

Robin acted quickly before the thug could alert any potential comrades; he dashed forward and clamped his hands over the panicked man's mouth before deftly slamming him into an adjacent wall and suffocating him into unconsciousness. He gently lowered the thug so there wouldn't be any other suspicious sounds. Then, Robin gestured for two guards to continue down the hallway, as well as the three guards in the parallel hallway that could be seen through iron bars to conduct a similar search. With one guard left for backup, Robin ascended the stairs to the security terminal.

In the small office, there was a single guard lazing around in an office chair while keeping a single eye on the unconscious Gordon. Upon seeing Robin raise a Batarang, the thug sluggishly moved to take Gordon as a hostage. Well, what was sluggish for Robin, in any case. The Boy Wonder tossed the Batarang, hitting the thug square in the head, which bashed the man into the console he was previously leaning against in the chair. With the man dazed, Robin rushed forward, hoisted him up by his prison uniform, and punched him harshly in the face, knocking out the thug.

The Arkham guard that stuck with Robin hurried to the Commissioner's side and checked his vitals. He looked up at Robin in relief after a few moments.

"Gordon's going to be okay. He's a little banged up, but it's nothing the Commissioner hasn't been through before. That idiot you just knocked out is probably in worse shape."

Robin snorted in light amusement, not even deigning to give the prisoner a second glance.

"Good. Bastard deserved it. Get Gordon out of the Treatment building, if you can." Before he could say another word, there was the sound of gunshots from down the corridor, and the raven-haired teenager smiled wryly at the guard. "And that would be my cue. I'll leave Gordon to you."

The guard nodded solemnly, and Robin took off to help out the other guards. Things were going pretty well… which could only mean that they had derailed Joker's plans to a certain extent. That was just as much of a bad thing as it was good. Good that they'd saved lives, saved Barbara's father, but it also meant that Joker would be improvising now… And damn if the Clown couldn't _improvise_. The madman could improvise even when he didn't have to; all for the sake of _fun_.

Only now he had to. This whole thing was a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off in their faces…

* * *

Batman made it back to the elevators in decent time; he knew he could trust Robin to save Gordon. Now, getting up to where his young ward was, that would be another kettle of fish entirely. According to an Arkham guard, the elevator wasn't working, and it was easy enough to surmise that Joker was behind it.

It kind of helped that the madman's voice was floating through the speakers again.

 _"I'll have you know I'm very,_ very _cross with you right now, Bats. You and your interfering little songbird. Because you've been very naughty, I've had to bring in an old friend a little early. You were going to run into him eventually, but now I need him to punish the Sidekick for his meddlesome meddling."_ Joker snickered briefly at his foe's expense. He knew that to bring out the 'best' in Batman – the emotional, surly side of him – all he needed to do was threaten the Sidekicks. Didn't matter if he carried out the threat or not, though obviously that was the most fun way to go about it; nothing got Batsy more riled up than when his Sidekicks were in danger. _"Don't worry, you'll hear every last squeal, and dear ol' Slade will leave enough pieces for you to identify the boy… probably. Eh, I never really specified. Anyways… I gotta run! See ya soon, Bats!"_

Batman clenched his fists in anger at that latest announcement. _Slade_? Jason was good, but not enough to take on Slade Wilson alone. _Dick_ wouldn't have been able to. If that wasn't bad enough, he'd be trying to defend the guards and Gordon; Robin wouldn't be able to devote his sole focus to the master assassin. Knowing that he had to hurry, Batman started scaling the elevator shaft the old-fashioned way. Every moment counted.

"Oracle, I don't know if you caught that, but Joker is sending Slade after Robin. Warn him if you can." When all he heard on Oracle's end was interference, Batman cursed as he crawled through a ventilation shaft. More for his peace of mind, he added under his breath, "Hang on, Jason… I'm coming."

* * *

Barbara gnashed her teeth as she heatedly typed on the keyboard of the main console. The Comms were down _again_. For the first few times that this happened, Oracle could sort it out easily enough; it took her two minutes tops. But now? Well… Whoever Joker got to disrupt communications, he was doing a damn good job of it now.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Oracle sat back and took a calming breath to clear her mind. Getting worked up was only going to hinder her efforts. Bruce, Jason, and Tim might be able to channel their frustrations constructively – by taking it out on thugs and lunatics – but she obviously didn't have that advantage anymore. She was Oracle now, not Batgirl.

"I see we are experiencing more trouble than usual tonight."

To her credit, Barbara did not give an outward reaction to Alfred's sudden appearance. As mild-mannered and kindly as the Wayne family butler was, he did have a slight mischievous streak in him. Bruce had to pick up his entrance/exit gimmick from somewhere, and Barbara always suspected that it wasn't entirely because of the rigorous training he underwent around the world.

Then again, it could be that Barbara was just distracted.

"Joker's orchestrating something big on Arkham Island, and he has someone running interference on the communications." She smiled wryly at the butler. "I guess he wants to keep _how_ big this thing is as a secret for as long as possible."

Alfred stared at the static-filled screen for a few moments before turning to Oracle with his hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm certain Master Bruce and Master Todd can manage on their own for the time being. But if you wish to deal with this saboteur, why not enlist young Master Drake? Together, I'm sure you can bring this criminal to justice."

Barbara chewed her lip as she considered Alfred's suggestion.

"Cardinal? Right now he's looking into possible bombs that Joker has planted throughout the city… I guess you're right, though. If I can't deal with this guy from here, I'll have Tim hit him at the source. As soon as I find where this guy is broadcasting from…"

Alfred started lending a hand at that point, letting his experience as a former military intelligence officer shine through. This hunt would be slow-going, but Oracle had high hopes that they would catch this guy by the end of the night.

* * *

Robin was proud with where they stood at this point in time. A few of Joker's men had tried to ambush the Arkham guards when they neared the doors leading to the elevators. Obviously their surprise attack didn't work out – especially when he joined in. There were no casualties, and now they were back at the first security checkpoint, holding down the fort as it were. Gordon was safe and sound, they had the exits covered, now all that remained was to wait for Batman to come back up.

Unfortunately for Robin, he could not have anticipated someone else infiltrating the building the way he had. Slade was now in the room, and had gotten the jump on a guard before he could alert everyone else. After slitting the guard's throat, Slade grappled up to a gargoyle and readied his sniper rifle.

 _'Eight guards, one Bat Brat… This is going to be easy.'_ The assassin used the sniper's scope to scout out the room, particularly keeping an eye on Robin. Once he started taking out the guards, he knew that Robin would be springing into action. Slade needed all of his bases covered.

It would not do to underestimate someone that the 'great' Batman had personally trained. Even if he was a brat.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I think this chapter came out quite well, considering. I suppose I managed to make this different enough from the game to make it interesting, what do you guys think? Obviously I finally settled on a hero name for Tim – Cardinal. I didn't** _ **have**_ **to stick with a bird name, but after looking up meanings/symbolism for birds, I think Cardinal fits Tim well enough. Like Robin, Cardinal can mean 'renewal' and 'hope'. I think that's suitable for Batman's sidekicks, 'cause one day they will succeed him.**

 **Although frankly, once we get to the third game, Jason will have a different name, but it will be fitting for him, believe me. ^^**

 **Review Replies:**

 **bronwe-iris: Thanks! We'll delve into certain past events when the story allows for it. I have a whole AU to envision as we go along, so this should be fun. ^^**

 **hockeyxanime: Thank you! I like to think he'll be helpful, but as we all know, Joker can adapt when he has to. Anarchist that he is.**

 **reddevil47: In fairness, there isn't a ton of potential family moments when you deal with psychotic killers and other criminals. On the other hand, that doesn't really excuse the near exclusion of that element. Batsy kinda goes Lone Wolf on us a bit too much in the Arkham series. Hopefully with a sidekick present during these events, he'll be less emotionally constipated. ^^;**

 **Shiranai Atsune: Thanks! We'll be delving into past AU events when the story calls for it, but for now, I'll say that Tim - or Cardinal, rather - joined up for similar canonical reasons, just minus the 'temporary' aspect due to Jason being missing. I like to think Tim would still want to make a difference in Gotham, and discovering Batman's identity and approaching the Bat Clan is perhaps the easiest way for him to do that. Now, with Jason still here, Tim's decision to approach them wasn't all warm and fuzzy, but clearly Jason has grudgingly come to accept Tim into the Bat Clan, as it's been a few years since that time. I'm still working out all the nitty gritty specifics, but this is how I've decided to go about reshaping the Arkham series universe.**


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